Q: In the pilot episode, Castle plays in a poker game with real-life crime novelists James Patterson and Steven Cannell. What was it like working with such successful mystery writers?

A: That was pretty exciting! I was a little bit nervous at first, of course, working with these very famous, very powerful men who are just masters of their art. But then I realized James Patterson—he handled himself extremely well, but he was a little nervous. He said, 'Yeah, this isn't really my area of expertise.' And I realized, this is so neat because this isn't their usual turf.